Page 35 of Death of a Grill Master

“My husband writes the police blotter. I hear things.”

“Then you already know what you came here to find out.”

“Humor me.”

Hannah exhaled through her nose, clearly not thrilled. “Fine. Yeah. I showed up at his restaurant last spring. Yes, I had a gun. No, it wasn’t loaded. I just wanted to scare the hell out of him.”

“That’s not usually considered a therapeutic strategy.”

Hannah ignored that. “He ruined my summer. I started a BBQ cart. Not even that ambitious. Just a side hustle. I was trying to save for this kayaking expedition in Croatia. I’ve always wanted to paddle the Dalmatian Coast.”

“That’s ambitious.”

“Yeah, well, dreams cost money. I found a good spot near the Village Green, did everything by the book, but Hank went and reported me to the health department. Said I was storing meat incorrectly. It wasn’t true. Just a technicality, a refrigeration permit thing. But he had friends on the town council. One phone call and boom—permit revoked.”

Hayley frowned. “So, that was it? He shut you down?”

“I lost my cart. My spot. My whole summer.” Hannah dug her oar into the water sharply. “He didn’t even try to hide what he was doing. Said he couldn’t have amateurs clogging up his turf.”

“Seems like he had a knack for making enemies.”

“Yeah. And he always landed on his feet.”

They paddled in silence for a moment. The sounds of the forest crept in—chickadees in the branches, the flutter of leaves in the breeze.

“So you were in position,” Hayley said finally. “You know the harbor currents better than anyone. A kayak would’ve made a pretty undetectable approach.”

“You think I shot him?”

“I think you wanted to.”

Hannah turned to face her, eyes flat. “If I’d done it, I wouldn’t have made it so sloppy.”

Hayley didn’t respond. Just let the words sit.

“Look,” Hannah said, softer now. “I hated the guy. I wished he’d disappear. But I didn’t kill him. I watched the fireworks alone, same as I always do.”

“No one can confirm that.”

“Nope. But I don’t have a history of murder.”

Hayley eyed her closely. “Why tell me all this?”

“Because I figured you’d find out eventually. And I’m not hiding anything.”

“You think Chase did it?”

“Maybe. He had reason. I also heard the police are looking at that guy from Florida, Doug Marsh. But honestly? I wouldn’t put it past Kylie.”

“Why?”

“She’s colder than people think. Everything’s calculated. Even the crying.”

Hayley filed that away. “Anyone else come to mind?”

Hannah hesitated. “No. But I hope you find whoever did it.”

“Even if it wasn’t you.”